Ever read Hal Lindsay's books, like The Late Great Planet Earth? What about Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series?
One of the main features in those works is about the "great tribulation" time that Lord Jesus foretold His Church about. Famines, earthquakes, wars, etc., are stressed as a sign that the tribulation has arrived! Problem is though, that's not really what God's Word teaches how the great tribulation will be like.
Matt 24:6-8
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
KJV
There's the nation rising against nation, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. Lord Jesus said that was the "beginning of sorrows", and in verse 6 that the "end is not yet" as long as wars and rumors of war are going on. Those things are supposed to be happening JUST PRIOR TO THE GREAT TRIBULATION START.
So all those books by Hal Lindsay and LaHaye about death and destruction during great tribulation are all for nought. Those things have already been happening today, and will be at their height just prior to the start of the great trib. But those things are NOT what the great trib is actually about.
What then marks the start of the great tribulation that Lord Jesus showed us?
Matt 24:15-21
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
KJV
When we see that "abomination of desolation" idol setup in the holy place of a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, signaling the start of the pseudo-Christ proclaiming himself in place of God, and deceiving the whole world in worshiping him, THAT... signals the start of the great tribulation time of the 'end'.
The deceived will be saying, "Peace and safety" in that time according to Apostle Paul (1 Thessalonians 5). Chicken in every pot for the deceived, as they will believe that false one is indeed Messiah having come.
So who is the tribulation upon then? It is upon those who stand in Jesus Christ in that time, remaining faithful waiting for Jesus' return after those events.
The whole world that will be deceived will hate us for not believing on that pseudo-Christ who will work great signs and miracles (Matthew 24:23-26; Revelation 13:11 forward). There won't be any wars, because the pseudo-Christ will be in power over the whole earth for that GT time (Revelation 13:4-8). The deceived will believe that God has truly come, and he will use peace to spiritually destroy the souls of many (Daniel 8).
One of the main features in those works is about the "great tribulation" time that Lord Jesus foretold His Church about. Famines, earthquakes, wars, etc., are stressed as a sign that the tribulation has arrived! Problem is though, that's not really what God's Word teaches how the great tribulation will be like.
Matt 24:6-8
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
KJV
There's the nation rising against nation, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. Lord Jesus said that was the "beginning of sorrows", and in verse 6 that the "end is not yet" as long as wars and rumors of war are going on. Those things are supposed to be happening JUST PRIOR TO THE GREAT TRIBULATION START.
So all those books by Hal Lindsay and LaHaye about death and destruction during great tribulation are all for nought. Those things have already been happening today, and will be at their height just prior to the start of the great trib. But those things are NOT what the great trib is actually about.
What then marks the start of the great tribulation that Lord Jesus showed us?
Matt 24:15-21
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
KJV
When we see that "abomination of desolation" idol setup in the holy place of a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, signaling the start of the pseudo-Christ proclaiming himself in place of God, and deceiving the whole world in worshiping him, THAT... signals the start of the great tribulation time of the 'end'.
The deceived will be saying, "Peace and safety" in that time according to Apostle Paul (1 Thessalonians 5). Chicken in every pot for the deceived, as they will believe that false one is indeed Messiah having come.
So who is the tribulation upon then? It is upon those who stand in Jesus Christ in that time, remaining faithful waiting for Jesus' return after those events.
The whole world that will be deceived will hate us for not believing on that pseudo-Christ who will work great signs and miracles (Matthew 24:23-26; Revelation 13:11 forward). There won't be any wars, because the pseudo-Christ will be in power over the whole earth for that GT time (Revelation 13:4-8). The deceived will believe that God has truly come, and he will use peace to spiritually destroy the souls of many (Daniel 8).
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